Kelly Kenoyer
COVID-19 is spreading wildly across Oregon, state officials say, and the past weeks have been the worst throughout the entire pandemic for deaths, new cases and hospitalizations – every metric by which the severity by which it is measured.
But, says Gov. Kate Brown, there is hope on the horizon: two COVID vaccines are on the brink of FDA approval, and the first doses are expected to arrive in Oregon on Dec. 15.
“Our hardest days still lie ahead,” said Brown at a Dec. 4 press conference, visibly excited at the prospect of vaccines arriving in Oregon this month.
A total of 35,100 doses of the Pfizer vaccine are expected to ship on Dec. 15, with 40,950 doses on Dec. 22. Because it is a two-dose vaccine, that means some 35,000 Oregonians could be vaccinated by the end of the year.
Combined with doses of the Moderna vaccine, which is also on the brink of FDA approval, Oregon will have a total of 147,000 first doses in December, according to Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen.
“OHA will be fully transparent about shipments of the vaccines we receive,” he said, and the agency is partnering with local organizations across the state to implement a distribution plan. Health care providers and those in long-term care facilities are first in line, and Brown said that entire category should be vaccinated by the end of January.
Other priorities include getting students back into classrooms, protecting Oregonians in high-risk jobs, and prioritizing communities bearing the brunt of the pandemic, she said.
Health Director Rachael Banks said the vaccine is 95% effective, which is significantly higher than the 40 to 60% effectiveness for the flu vaccine each year. It won’t cost anything at point of administration.
The vaccines do have some side effects, she said: “pain, redness and swelling where the shot was given, mild fever, chills, feeling tired, headache, and muscle joints and aches.”
These side effects “really indicate that your body is putting up an immune response,” she added.
Although vaccines are close to being available, rollout will take months, and the pandemic worsens in the meantime.
“It’s certainly possible that by Christmas we will be seeing double the case rates we are seeing now,” Brown said. “Ten months into this pandemic, when we are all so incredibly tired of dealing with COVID-19, the data is showing the majority of Oregonians are listening. To every one of you who continues to make smart choices: Thank you. Thank you.”
Oregon has seen a sharp rise in deaths in the past weeks, with more days seeing double-digit fatalities than not. December alone has seen more than 100 COVID deaths already, and Oregon only recently surpassed 1,000 total deaths for the pandemic.
Meanwhile, as of Dec. 7, The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients across Oregon increased to 565. There are 120 COVID-19 patients in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds, seven more than yesterday.
Brown asked Oregonians to “buckle down for just a little bit longer.”
“Take safety precautions until the vaccine is both widely available and widely administered, and this is going to take time,” she said. “Our hardest days still lie ahead. Oregon hospitals are filling up, and many are forgoing elective surgeries.”
Currently, 80% of Oregon’s ICU beds are occupied. There are 565 Oregonians hospitalized with COVID-19 currently, up from 171 hospitalized on Nov. 1. A representative for Samaritan Health Services said the Albany hospital has about half of its beds available, while Lebanon has eight beds available out of 25. There are five patients in the two hospitals combined.
“A good part of last week, Lebanon was completely full,” hospital spokesperson Erin Causey said.
Director Allen became somber talking about the recent deaths.
“Every death represents an empty seat at a holiday dinner, a warm hug that’s missed, a winter morning walk that cannot happen, and we mourn every one of them.”
Public health officials at the conference again asked for citizens to wear masks, avoid traveling, stay 6 feet apart, and avoid contact with those outside their immediate households.
COVID numbers locally aren’t looking much better than the rest of the state. Linn County is under “Extreme Risk” because of a high number of positive cases, defined as more than 200 cases per 100,000 in a two-week period. Linn County is far beyond that, with above 60 cases each on both Dec. 4 and 5.
While one city employee tested positive last week, all COVID tests of city employees who were exposed to that person have come back negative, City Manager Ray Towry said. That employee’s spouse also tested negative.
Sweet Home had a record 32 new cases the week of Nov. 26 to Dec. 2, pushing total cases in the 97386 Zip code above 100 for the first time. The previous record of 14 new cases in a week was set the week before that.
Linn County has counted three new deaths so far in December: a 77-year-old woman, a 93-year-old woman, and a 95-year-old woman with confirmed pre-existing conditions. The state does not provide more specific location data for COVID deaths than the county, so it is unclear where each of the county’s 26 deaths came from, beyond which hospitals they were treated in.
Not all who die are elderly or have pre-existing conditions. Oregon’s 1,042nd COVID-19 death was a 37-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Nov. 27 and died two days later. He had no underlying conditions.
Banks asked that Oregonians stay home as much as they can and change how they spend their free time to protect loved ones.
“Small concentrations of people gathering inside have led to super spreader events which have fueled the surge we have seen across the U.S. and the country,” she said. “The virus is expanding at an exponential rate and spreading wider and faster.”
As one of 25 counties under extreme risk, Linn County will continue many of the mandates that were instituted under the freeze in November.
Social and at-home gatherings are limited to six people, with a recommended limit of two households.
Restaurants are limited to outdoor dining only and take-out is strongly encouraged.
Gyms, movie theaters and other indoor recreation activities remain closed, but outdoor activities are allowed with a maximum of 50 people.
Retail is allowed to remain open, but with 50% capacity.
Faith institutions and funeral homes are limited to 25% capacity, and office workers are required to work remotely to the maximum extent possible.
However, personal services like hair salons are still allowed to operate with safety measures in place.
Long-term care facilities are back to allowing outdoor visitation, so long as they follow health and safety protocols.
Now that Linn County has been deemed an Extreme Risk county and, in response, the City of Sweet Home has made the following adjustments to its operations, as of Dec. 3.
City Parks: Open.
Community and Economic Development: Closed to walk-in’s. The Building Program is processing various applications and inspection requests online, via phone or email. Questions can be directed to (541) 367-7993. The Planning Division is handling applications via email.
Finance/Utility Billing: Closed to walk-in’s. Customers can request water service turn-on’s or turn-offs electronically or by picking up the application from the front of City Hall. Utility consumers can make payments via mail, city hall dropbox, or online. The city has suspended all passport and notary services. Questions? Call (541) 367-5128.
Municipal Court: Closed. All December court proceedings have been rescheduled to a later date. Court staff have mailed out new court date information. Call the office with any address updates.Payments may be made via mail, online, or by calling (541) 367-4660 during business hours.
Police: Open. Public fingerprinting and animal complaint responses have been suspended. People are asked to limit their visits to the lobby to emergencies. Prescription medication pickup/delivery is available for vulnerable residents, 65 and older. Details are available at http://www.sweethomeor.gov/police/page/sweet-home-police-offer-pre scription-delivery-vulnerable-65.
Public Library: Open by appointment only. Library capacity is limited to 10 patrons. Call (541) 367-5007 to make an appointment Public-access computers will be available for 45-minute reserved sessions. No loitering in the foyer. Patrons can continue to access books online through Library2Go and utilize the library’s Curbside Pickup.
Public Works: Closed. Not accepting deliveries. Staff continue to work on projects across the city. Fall Leaf Collection work requests can be submitted through the city’s Mobile311 Citizen Portal, or by calling Public Works Maintenance at (541) 367-6359.